Shelling kills child, injures 12

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 November 2000, 22:39 GMT]A two-year old child was killed and twelve others were wounded, five of them seriously when Sri Lanka Army and Police shelled the villages of Ramespuram and Sunkankerny north of Batticaloa Sunday evening residents said. Thirteen houses were also damaged in the shelling.

The child who was killed in the shelling was identified as K.Sathees. The wounded civilians were identified as: Thavapiriya,2, Veerasaingham,28, Nakenthiram,40, Shanmukarasa,60, Kamaleswaran,23, Vimaleswaran,26, Subajini,19, Shanmukasuntharai,39, Sivapiriya, 19, Sripiriya,20, Karuna,37 and Aruna,16.

Sources said the army and police were retaliating to an attack by the Liberation Tigers on a police post at Eravur and a SLA post at Chenklady around 7.15 p.m. Sunday.

Residents said the troops opened up heavy shelling which went on for nearly 30 minutes.

Rameshpuram is near Chenkalady, about 17 km. north of Batticaloa, and Sunakankerny is further 8 km. north of Chenkalady.